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Thread: How do you measure Unique

  1. #21
    Boolit Master 44magLeo's Avatar
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    On light to medium pistol loads a .2gr difference is not a problem. Most can't shoot well enough to notice any accurcy issues. .5 probably won't effect such loads much.
    On small lots of ammo I often use a 45ACP case trimmed to dip 8.5 grs of Unique for my light 44 mag loads. I can dip with in the .2 gr .
    On powder baffles for measures I find an old pill bottle that is a slip fit in the hopper. Cut it about an inch up from bottom. Drill a 1/4 inch hole in center of bottom. If you think that won't flow enough powder fast enough try two holes, one on each side.
    This has cut my 55's variations on all powders to small to matter.
    Leo

  2. #22
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    Tom W.'s Avatar
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    I have a Uniflow with the micrometer setting. I just loaded 200 rounds of 9mm w/ green dot, with not much variation. With Unique, I usually am just going to kill paper, and a lot of times with most flake powders I'll use Lee dippers....
    Tom
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  3. #23
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    Steve,

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  4. #24
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    Used the Uniflow with the Micrometer adjustment and large drum for years, for as little as 5 grains of Unique, without any issues. Since I bought the RCBS Chargemaster, my three powder measures have been dedicated to throwing small set charges of Bullseye.

    Note: The optional micrometer adjustment only works with the large drum.

    Winelover

  5. #25
    Boolit Master
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    i've studied this problem a lot.

    unique has me perplexed as well, and here is what i've come up with.
    took apart my hornady case activated measure.(it is set up with the small rotor and pin adjuster.)

    i took the main body in a vise and set up my drill press fitted with a brake cylinder honing tool to hone all the bumps inside the funnel part of the measure body.

    also used a smaller hone to polish the drop area that is right before drum.

    to my surprise these areas smoothed out like a mirror...no bumps, no paint , nothing!
    then was polished inside with car polishing compound.

    below the drum was harder to do but was do-able.

    the powder from there drops thru 2 tubes ...one long one about 5"...and one short one that is caliber specific.
    these were reamed inside and polished with diamond grit paste...again, mirror smooth.

    as a final prep i washed everything so completely that a surgeon would be proud.
    and just to make sure nothing would hang up in the measure i use mothers car wax inside of everything.

    i added a buzz vibrator at the top of each throw & at the bottom of each throw at a 2 second duration at each
    for settling the powder during loading of the drum and the dumping of the drum.

    with everything polished, cleaned & waxed i have remove all fails that mechanical can produce.
    and STILL i would have problems with unique powder.

    while i admit that the charges that it will throw are better ...they are still erratic.

    right now my target throw is 6.8 grains ... and i check them on a "myweigh" scale that reads in 100ths of a grain
    but it only goes by 1/2 tenths. what i'm trying to say is my target is 6.80 grains but it will read 6.75 or 6.85 or more or less. it won't read 6.81...6.82...6.83 etc. just in increments of .05 of a grain.

    that's probably more accurate a weighing job than is needed ...but that's the scale i brought to the dance ...so i use it.

    all that being said ...my throws are better... i'm not 3 to 6 grains off every time i throw. (and some are spot on.)

    after my careful flaw removing process , i'm 1/2 to 2 grains off. (and i realize that this minor amount of "off-age"
    is acceptable with no ill effects, to a person like me who is a perfectionist ...being off even that much bothered me.)

    so............with the equipment being as good as it can be. i turned my attention to the powder itself.

    i noticed that the powder granules themselves were varied in size.

    the larger of the granules ...and i mean only "one large granule" has enough weight to effect a change on my scale.
    up to one half of one tenth of a grain = .05 of a grain.
    while it took 5 to 6 flakes of a smaller size to effect the same change.

    while reading another thread about black powder and how they got their designations of FG-FFG-FFFG-FFFFG
    i found out that each powder was exactly the same composition wise, and to get their one to four status the powder was sifted thru various sifting screens.

    FG is the coarsest with the largest granules...
    and on the flip side FFFFG is the finest...FG & FFG is mostly for long gun loads...FFG & FFFG for handgun loads.
    and finally FFFFG is for priming the flash pans.

    where am i going with all this?

    i contend that a mixture of tiny granules ...medium granules...and large granules, are not capable of consistent throws... and will ALWAYS BE ERRATIC.

    here's my analogy...

    you have three quart jars.

    jar #1 is filled level to the top with 1" steel ball bearings.

    jar #2 is filled level to the top with 3/8" steel ball bearings.

    jar #3 is filled level to the top with 1/16" steel ball bearings.

    which is heavier?.......................................ans wer = #3 ....as there are only very small voids between each.

    now pour all the ball bearings of each jar into one tub.....try to scoop out a target weight and get even 2 scoops to
    be exactly the same...you cannot.

    it has to be the same problem with unique powder but on a much smaller scale.

    i have very small deviation on the scale when i use H110- win296 - #5 powders as all granules are very tiny, like #5 is almost like measuring the sand in an hourglass.
    because it is so small, it fills the charge area more consistently than the larger flake powders.

    truth be known i'd like to take apart 100 finished cartridges from EVERY one of the guys here who say that their throws are perfect every time.

    and i'd bet $100 to each one that they are not all 100% perfect.
    Last edited by mozeppa; 02-18-2018 at 08:47 PM.

  6. #26
    Boolit Master TheDoctor's Avatar
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    For 45 colt blasting ammo, cowboy action type, any measure is good enough for me since I'm loading low anyway. For higher end loads, and especially throwing something like H-110, then it's B&M all the way.

  7. #27
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    In a uniflow or a B&M or one of the half dozen Lyman 55's I own or an Ideal #5 and if I don't feel like using one of them there are the two Lee's and three sets of Lee dippers . You can use anything to measure Unique that you use for anything else , even my old Hornady will work . If you insist on absolutely 100% accuracy you will have to weigh the charges regardless of what you throw them with . .2 is close enough for any pistol load but absolute max loads .

    Eddie
    Grumpy Old Man With A Gun....... Do Not Touch !!

  8. #28
    Boolit Master
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    When I want loads heavier than mild or medium with unique I switch to HS-6. A .2 th variation at medium or less loading levels is still safe with Unique.

    HS6 is a better choice than hot rodding Unique. HS-6 meters like butter on a hot skillet and gives you a pressure curve that beats the socks off of Unique when you want more power.

    Now, reference books have trended to also run HS-6 at higher levels and that is alright with Jwords but I don’t subscribe to with cast.

    I like to run HS-6 at 25,000 psi ball park with a good lead alloy/lube combo in a gun cleaned up for lead. You try to get that power out of Unique and you will being running 10k psi or more higher and exceeding most lead alloy’s strength.

    This is referencing 44 Mag parameters. The Op is working with 45 LC I believe and you can take my pressure ranges down a bit but the relative difference between the two powders still hold.

    Three44s
    Last edited by Three44s; 02-18-2018 at 12:11 PM.

  9. #29
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    I agree with three44’s and he speaks much wisdom on this topic!
    He turned me onto this info in the last year or so and I am now an HS6 man in all my 44 mag loads and when time allows going to try to work up the perfect 357 load with HS6.

  10. #30
    Boolit Master
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    I have two old Herter's measures, one has a 1/4 in. chamber and the other is 3/8 in. The 1/4 in is to small for Unique but fine for BE or ball powders. I just threw 20 charges at 6 grs. of Unique with the 3/8 chamber weighed each one. The average is 6.06 grs. I use this charge for my 357 mag, I would set it up to top out at 6 grs and let the variation be on the down side.

    1 at 5.9
    9 at 6
    7 at 6.1
    3 at 6.2

    All charges fell in a .3 range and 19 in .2 range. I paid close attention but load a larger amount an I am sure it would open up a some. If I had weighed 10 charges the 5.9 wouldn't have shown up, it was #11.

    A large chamber and small charges can be a problem as well as a small chamber and powders that don't flow well. Just have match what you have to what you are using.

    I don't have a RCBS measure, can one of you tell me what size the two drums are?

    Dave

  11. #31
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    Wayne Smith's Avatar
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    My problem with Unique is less accuracy - several of my pistol powder measures are adequately accurate, but bridging. Unique has a tendency to bridge in every measure I have, and thus unpredictably you have light and heavy loads. I found this out with my 32-20. So I limit it to the B&M, no possibility of bridging there.
    Wayne the Shrink

    There is no 'right' that requires me to work for you or you to work for me!

  12. #32
    Boolit Master
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    Thank you for the kind words Wasalmonslayer!

    I find that HS6 is fine in all I have tried .... 38’s loaded for 357,357, 41 Mag and 480.

    I have the most experience with 44 Mag and that powder and the most admiration for it there. But I see no reason to doubt that with more work up that it is just as handy with just about all the revolver rounds that can handle 20k and say upto 26k on the top side.

    Three44s

  13. #33
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    I use Unique and TrailBoss for 45colt/44special blaster loads (banging steel at 15 yards).

    I use a Lee dipper as it's fast and simple. They all go bang and the plates fall.

  14. #34
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  15. #35
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    Two ways give consistent results.

    1.) Lyman 55 measure, with the slides set to give a narrow deep cavity and the correct weight desired. Keep hopper half full and operate handle in a consistent manner...consistent operation being the key to consistent loads.

    2.) A dipper. Consistently dipped and leveled charges will give you very consistent charges....surprisingly .
    Dipped charges give me my most accurate ammo. I make dippers or adjust Lee dippers to give me exactly the weight I want with a given powder.
    Old school ...maybe slow...but it works.

    The Lyman 55 and Dippers work quite well with flakey powders like Unique and Bullseye .

    Gary
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  16. #36
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    Thanks for all of the great answers and advice. I guess I am just being too picky. Probably stems from years of trying to squeeze every ounce of accuracy out of my rifles. To tell you the truth, I'm not that great of a shot with a handgun and I guess if I miss I can just blame it on the load

  17. #37
    Boolit Master
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    RCBS Chargemaster works great for rifle charges. I cleaned and polished my HornadayLNL measure oh and waxed the inside metal parts it works much better with Unique.

  18. #38
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by Wasalmonslayer View Post
    I agree with three44’s and he speaks much wisdom on this topic!
    He turned me onto this info in the last year or so and I am now an HS6 man in all my 44 mag loads and when time allows going to try to work up the perfect 357 load with HS6.
    I use HS-6 in both 357 and 44 magnum. 8.5 grains under a 158 Campro flat point plated is a very accurate load out of my 6 inch 28-3.

  19. #39
    Boolit Master 1bluehorse's Avatar
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    If you like using Unique but don't like the metering problem, try Herco (I switched a long time back) meters better, better performance in the same "window" and it's usually a bit less expensive. Plus it even looks "a bit" like Unique...Herco is an excellent powder in many applications. Usually will beat Unique's performance with a bit less pressure and a bit more velocity.

  20. #40
    Boolit Master Jack Stanley's Avatar
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    When setting up the Uniflow , I'll run about twenty charge through without weighing anything just to settle the powder in the measure .

    After that My handle is set to be away from me , that is toward the wall . It fills when the handle is up and to dispense just push the handle away and down . It works much better than anything else I've tried .

    Jack
    Buy it cheap and stack it deep , you may need it !

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check